Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Who wants pizza?

This past weekend, I made pizza crusts for the freezer. These are easy to make, terrific to have on hand and we love them.I thought I'd share the recipe. I don't remember where I got it...I think it was through a Southern Living magazine...

The crusts freeze well and since they are 'personal' size, they don't take a lot of space up in the freezer. You can fit them into a gallon freezer bag if you are careful. When the kids were younger, I made them smaller so I could get 8-9 crusts out of the recipe instead of 6.The kids prefer these to store bought frozen pizza....or even delivery.

TIPS:1. Don't roll too thin...do what the recipe suggests. 2. I usually double the recipe and make 2 batches.3. Don't overcook them....they are NOT totally cooked through, just a few minutes per side is all you need. 4. Put a very small piece of wax paper between each crust when storing so they don't stick together. 5. They puff slightly when cooking 6. You don't have to defrost before baking. They defrost quickly enough that by the time you top them and preheat the oven, they are ready to go in.

Baking:

Preheat the oven to 425 and bake until the toppings are done and the cheeses are golden brown...or longer if you like them a tiny bit burned.

Here is the recipe...Here is what they look like rolled out and in the baggies. Here is what the kids had...pretty easy to figure these out!Here is what Dean and I had....his was topped with olive oil, portabellas, spinach, feta and roasted chicken. Mine was pepperoni with mozzarella, roasted red bell peppers, sliced tomatoes and portabellas...and here is another one Dean made.....this one has alfredo sauce on the crust, roasted chicken, roasted garlic and portabellas all topped with mozzarella to hold it all down.

The recipe doesn't say how long to cook them after being frozen. Do I need to thaw first? This is perfect. We usually make homemade pizza dough in our bread machine, but this makes it an afternoon event. My teenage boys will appreciate being able to go into the freezer and put on whatever we have on hand. It beats $7 for a frozen pizza, for a meal after a game. Recently single, I am looking for more shortcuts while still being homemade. I can't wait to make a batch.